Linda Niedbalski, DVM

Doctor

Dr. Niedbalski, or Dr. Linda to most people, recently moved to Tacoma to be closer to family. She received her DVM from Kansas State University in 1994 and practice in Lawrence Kansas for what seems like an eternity; Dr. Linda’s primary areas of interest are preventative medicine, dental health and geriatric medicine.

She is an avid University of Kansas Jayhawks basketball fan and is looking forward to taking advantage of all of the outdoor activities that the Pacific Northwest offers with her 2 dogs, Nettie and Stella.

Jeanne Neeson, DVM

Doctor

Dr. Neeson graduated from Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine in 1996 and has been living and practicing in Washington state since. She has called Tacoma home for the last 13 years. She loves working with both cats and dogs and has a strong interest in internal medicine, geriatrics, preventative medicine and animal behavior. She also uses her exceptional skills in dentistry and surgery to promote overall pet health and happiness.

Jeanne is married and is managed by 3 cats. In her spare time she loves many of the outdoor opportunities that the Pacific Northwest offers, including hiking, skiing, climbing, kayaking, as well as travel, cooking, gardening and spending time with her family.

Amber Oden, DVM

Doctor

Dr. Oden, Washington state native, earned her DVM from Washington State University. She strongly believes in partnering with pet owners, collaborating to ensure the well-being and happiness of their pets. With a special interest in pediatrics and behavior, she strives to offer exceptional care to every pet while understanding their unique behavioral needs.

When she’s not caring for her furry patients, Dr. Oden enjoys exploring various art forms and immersing herself in books. Her household includes her husband, two perfect cats, Evo and Gilly, as well as Maybe, a Border Collie mix whose emotional nature is matched only by her exceptional intelligence.

Nicole Denny, DVM

Doctor

Dr. Nicole Denny grew up surrounded by loved family pets and farm animals in St. Louis, Missouri. Growing up surrounded by dogs, cats, horses, chickens, and various pocket pets gave her an early appreciation for the human-animal bond. She pursued her interest in veterinary medicine early on by working in general practice small animal hospitals from the age of 16 while attending highschool and through undergraduate studies. She then attended veterinary school at University of Missouri, was trained in emergency and critical care at VSS in St. Louis, then completed 7 years as an ER doctor at Summit Veterinary Referral Center. While her expertise spans the range of needs presented by emergency medicine, she was particularly interested in gastrointestinal health/illness, toxin exposures, immune mediated disorders, and wounds/trauma. She maintained a passion in ER for helping animals and people when they needed it the most. After several years in the emergency field Dr. Denny is now pursuing a career in general practice in order to help the Tacoma community of beloved pets and their families with long term and preventative care. She is looking forward to being a part of the Tacoma Veterinary community!

Dr. Denny loves being surrounded by waterfront and mountains, and was drawn to the PNW by the hiking, paddle boarding, beautiful parks, and fun cities to explore in the area. She has 3 furbabies: Fergus a scruffy tripod mutt, and her two sweet senior cats Oliver and Delilah. Fergus loves to play in the water and frequents Tacoma’s pet friendly breweries with his mom. Oliver and Delilah’s favorite activities are snuggling, sleeping, and demanding snacks.

Kayla Jimenez

Hospital Manager

Kayla comes to us as a Texas native who has worked in medicine for over 7 years. Kayla graduated from Houston Baptist University with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine.  She has worked in both human and veterinary medicine in all capacities and specialties. She has two Austrian Shepard fur babies of her own: Ollie and Mila; that always keep her busy and on her toes. 

“It’s an honor to be joining a team with the reputation of excellence that Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital brings to our community and state.  I hope to add my experience and passion for quality care and team building to Metropolitan, support the wonderful staff, and focus on customer service.”

Jamie Coleman

Licensed Vet Technician

Jamie’s love of the veterinary field started as a kennel assistant while she was in high school. Upon completion of a veterinary assistant program in 2005, she began working for a board certified surgeon, where she was able to sharpen her surgery and anesthetic skills.  She earned her veterinary technicians license in 2010 and continued to immerse herself in specialty and emergency anesthesia at a referral hospital.  We are thrilled that Jamie has opted to share her incredible talents with MetVet, as she truly enjoys spending one-on-one time with clients and their beloved pets.

Born and raised in the idyllic Puget Sound area, Jamie shares her home with her husband and young daughter, a goofy Labrador, and a sweet kitty.

Leanna Ford

Veterinary Assistant

Leanna is a native Washingtonian who has grown up here in Tacoma. She has been with the met vet team since 2015. When she is not at the clinic helping with the patients Leanna is usually out finding new adventures. She loves fishing with her husband or hiking deep in the mountains. Leanna is also known for her passion of photography. She will take pictures of anything and everything whether it be of her pets, nature or anyone who needs photos done. Fun fact- Leanna was the photographer who took most of the staff photos you see here on the website. She currently has two cats named Coda (on the left) and Buzz (on the right). She also has two dogs named Piggy who is a pitbull mix and Nico a German shepherd.

Heather Hobbs

Heather graduated from Pierce College Ft. Steilacoom in 1997 with a degree in Veterinary Technology.  Since then she has worked in a variety of settings from large animal to ER, but has come to love the variety of a general practice setting. Her kind and caring ways are a natural fit here at MetVet, and our patients simply adore her. A Northwest native, Heather has a passion for outdoor adventures, and especially enjoys backpacking & bicycling with her family.

Parris Ancheta

Licensed Vet Technician

Parris is a Tacoma native and has been a licensed technician since 2013. She previously worked as an anesthesia technician at an ER/specialty hospital for 7 years. Since then, she has joined us here at Metropolitan part-time while continuing to do specialty surgery with a boarded surgeon. Outside of veterinary medicine she has a slight obsession with Harry Potter, Old Spaghetti Factory and Top Gun Maverick. On a typical day you can find her enjoying the beautiful indoors, on a couch, with her kitten Ronald Weasley.

Hayley Hern

Licensed Vet Technician

Hayley was born here in Washington and raised in the Bonney Lake area. She is a 2023 new grad from Pima LVT school and is excited to start this new adventure. Before vet med she was always happy to help out at the SunnySkys rescue in the cat department and continues to help out there. Hayley is the type of person who enjoys finding a good book to sit down and read or painting something that puts a smile to her face. Hayley has two cats one named Precious (pictured above) and the other named Bean. She also has two pet reptiles a Russian tortoise named Gomez and a leopard gecko named Boba Fett, both of which were rescues

Michael Abbott

Veterinary Assistant

Michael was born in New York but moved to Western Washington very early on in life and that is where he has stayed. He enjoys table top gaming, bike rides and spending time with his girlfriend and twin boys.

He started working with animals in 2016 after graduating high school working in kennels and as a shelter assistant for the local adoption program and animal hospital. He has worked and trained as a professional German Shepherd trainer and is now looking forward to the excitement of working in a hospital again.

Brett Riddell

Veterinary Assistant

Brett came all the way from the beaches of North Carolina with her husband to be stationed at JBLM. She has been working in veterinary medicine for 7 years now & currently attends PIMA Medical Institute studying veterinary technology. She has always cared for animals & enjoys helping the sick/injured feel better. Her dream job would be working with horses at either a rescue program or within the thoroughbred racing industry. Brett enjoys reading, practicing yoga, being with her dogs & making them bandanas. She has 3 dogs, 2 German Shepherds & a Treeing Walker Hound mix, all of who keep her on her toes.

Alexander Kidder

Veterinary Assistant

Alexander started his veterinary journey in 2018 as a kennel assistant after being a AKC certified Dog Trainer with a long burning passion for animals and is now a Veterinary Assistant. When not being a Veterinary Assistant at Met Vet, Alex also helps out with Veterinary Surgical Services and their specialty procedures. He loves his wife, coffee, Taco Bell, and of course his 2 dogs (Threepio and Sousuke), and his cat (Chalupa). A passion for radiology and is one of the go to for “spicy patients” of which he smothers with love and compassion.

Ashleigh

Kennel Assistant

Ashleigh has been a Kennel Assistant here at MetVet since June 2022. She graduated from Portland State University the day before she began working with Us with a B.S. in Biology. In the future, Ashleigh hopes to transfer in to a career in zookeeping and animal conservation. Ashleigh enjoys spending time reading, playing video games with friends, and spending time with her cat, Dawn, and her two turtles.